Five-Point Communication Strategy to Help Clinicians Stay Focused
Nurses make mistakes every day due to cognitive overload. Nurse leaders have a responsibility to recognize signs of cognitive overload in clinicians and take active measures to reduce cognitive burden and its consequences.
My 2019 CNO Perspective shows nurse leaders how to create a safer, more effective work environment and:
- Recognize the signs of cognitive overload, especially behaviors with potential to impact quality and safety
- Employ strategies to reduce nurses’ cognitive load
- Understand how cognitive load becomes overload – and solve for its causes
Reducing cognitive burden for nurses helps create a more satisfying work environment and fosters well-being and retention. This is a report about understanding the problem and how to take specific, achievable steps to solve it.
Five-Point Communication Strategy to Help Clinicians Stay Focused
Nurses make mistakes every day due to cognitive overload. Nurse leaders have a responsibility to recognize signs of cognitive overload in clinicians and take active measures to reduce cognitive burden and its consequences.
My 2019 CNO Perspective shows nurse leaders how to create a safer, more effective work environment and:
- Recognize the signs of cognitive overload, especially behaviors with potential to impact quality and safety
- Employ strategies to reduce nurses’ cognitive load
- Understand how cognitive load becomes overload – and solve for its causes
Reducing cognitive burden for nurses helps create a more satisfying work environment and fosters well-being and retention. This is a report about understanding the problem and how to take specific, achievable steps to solve it.
About the Author
Rhonda Collins, DNP, RN, has been the chief nursing officer at Vocera since 2014. She works with nursing leadership groups globally to share clinical best practices. Rhonda holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Texas. In 2017 and 2018 Becker’s Hospital Review included her on its “Women in MedTech to Know” and “Female Healthcare IT Leaders to Know” lists. In 2019 she was honored as one of the 100 most influential women in Silicon Valley, receiving a 2019 Women of Influence Award from the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
